Merpeople (Scopatore)
Merpeople are a race of sentient beings who live underwater. Not much is known about their customs and habits, as Merpeople live their lives very secluded from the rest of the magical world. Like Centaurs, Merpeople were offered the status of "being", but refused because they didn't want to be classified the same as Hags and Vampires. Although Merpeople's natural habitat is located underwater, they have the ability to shed their fins and take on a human form. History The history of the Merpeople dates back to the days of the Sirens of Ancient Greece. The original Sirens were a race of half-human, half-bird creatures who inhabited a single colony somewhere in the Mediterranean. The location and history of this colony is lost to history, but what the Merpeople believe is that a dragon attacked the colony and ate the bird-halves of the Sirens. The dying Sirens kept themselves alive long enough to escape into the ocean, kill larger fish and use their tales as replacements for their missing limbs. The survivors of the dragon attack evolved into the first Merpeople species. The underwater Sirens spread throughout the Mediterranean, keeping their colonies secret from the outside world. Historically, if sailors treaded too close to one of their colonies, Sirens would use their enchanting voices and songs to lure them into caverns, where they killed the sailors in order to keep their colony locations secret. At some point before the 16th century, the Sirens experienced a schism. Most of the Siren population wanted to stop using their songs to lure sailors to their dooms, but a small group of Sirens dedicated to the old ways migrated to the Caribbean while the rest of the Sirens evolved into the modern Mediterranean Merpeople we are familiar with today. After the schism, the Merpeople continued to differentiate; Merpeople who migrated to the cold waters of Scotland and Ireland evolved into Selkies and Merrows respectively. The "Merpeople of the North" as they are known, are generally less attractive and are larger, not to mention more warlike than their Mediterranean brothers and sisters. Biology and Appearance Merpeople are generally half-human, half-fish hybrids, although they are not half-breeds. Like humans, a Merman or Mermaid's appearance varies, especially depending on the sub-species. For instance, Mediterranean Merpeople are visually identical to humans from the waist-up and their appearance differs much like human appearance differs, skin colour exempt. However, other sub-species of Merpeople like Selkies and Merrows take on a whole different appearance, carrying a much more visually dissimilar appearance to humans. Selkies of the Black Lake Colony typically have green or blue hair; yellow, orange or aqua eyes; and have greyish scaly skin, all traits virtually impossible for a human to naturally possess. Another thing that differentiates the Mediterranean Merpeople with the Merpeople of the North is the height difference. While Merpeople tend to be a tad shorter than the average human, Selkies and Merrows are quite large; the former averages around seven and a half feet tall, at least when they are in their natural form. Reproduction Merpeople have the ability to reproduce in different ways, but they typically reproduce much like fish do; spawn using eggs and utilizing external fertilization. Society and culture Merpeople are sapient creatures of human-intelligence, and as such qualify for full "being" status if they did not, as a race, reject the classification. The few people that have witnessed Mermish civilization first-hand describe it as a form of primitive Communism, in which currency and clothing do not exist and everybody contributes to society. Their colonies are highly organized, with many elaborate stone structures, and have been known to domesticate creatures such as the Grindylow, Hippocampus and Lobalug. There is evidence that society is highly patriarchal in nature, both due to the fact that Mermen hardly leave their colonies and all known leadership positions are filled by Mermen. Merpeople have a fully developed language called Mermish. The language is only intelligible underwater, where it takes the form of an Ancient Greek dialect, but morphs into a harsh, screeching and raspy sound when spoken above water. Other examples of Merpeople's thriving culture is their love of music, their art production and thriving jewellery and weapon crafting. Cross-breading with Humans As odd as it may sound, unions between Humans and Merpeople exist, and have existed for centuries. As Merpeople are classified as "beasts", marriages between Wizards and Merpeople are regarded as taboo and depending on the country, are forbidden. However taboo they may be, the fact is that marriages between the two species exist. This is made possible by the fact that Merpeople, no matter the subspecies, retain the ability to shed their fins (and in the case of Selkies and Merrows, their whole bodies) and take on a human form. While in their human form, Merpeople operate like any other human, meaning that their bodies function the same and as such, they are able to conceive human children. Cross-breading with humans is another thing that separates Mediterranean Merpeople from the Merpeople of the North. When a Mermaid or Merman from the shores of Greece or Italy take on a human husband or wife, they remain committed to them for the rest of their days, while Selkies or Merrows always eventually return to their natural habitat, no matter how deep the love-bond they may have formed with their terrestrial family, leaving a heartbroken spouse behind. Several recorded incidents of Selkies and Merrows walking out on their spouse come from unions which the human spouse was unaware that they were married to a Merperson, and as such, were even more devastated when they woke up to find themselves alone. As Merpeople retain their human form on land, their children are full-humans, with the exception of having an innate ability to breathe underwater. They do not, however, possess the natural ability to shapeshift into a Merperson. If they have children with Muggles, Merpeople's nature as magical creatures gives their offspring a high chance of being born witches or wizards. Despite the children's ability to breathe underwater, offspring of human Merpeople are officially classified as half-bloods. Human-Merpeople unions are almost always between a human man and a Mermaid. Nobody truly knows why this is, but some speculate that Mermen play a larger role in Mermish society and so the men tend not to leave their colonies, although many accept that most Mermen simply do not care for Humans or a life above the waters. Category:Harry Potter Universe (Scopatore) Category:Merpeople